F.O.S. Group presents new air permeability tester for quality testing of textiles

The F.O.S. Group, based in Ahlen, Germany, has launched the www.textiluhr.de website to market its advanced air permeability tester for textiles.

The filtration technology specialist now sells an improved tester model under the trade name TX15. The new device is not only of interest to textile and paper manufacturers, but also to other companies that need to determine the quality of textiles they use in their products and processes, the Group reports.

Determining fibre density

"This useful instrument makes it easy to determine the fibre density in a fabric," explained Christian Reining, CEO of the F.O.S. Group.

“The TX15 measures the air permeability of a fabric, which is an important quality parameter. In essence, it measures the time required to suck a certain volume of air at a known constant pressure through a piece of the fabric.”

“This value is used to determine a number of other parameters, such as contamination (for filter materials), ageing (important for fabrics such as parachute materials), cellulose density (in toilet paper or kitchen rolls) or dye distribution (in connection with dying processes).”

Flexible and non-destructive testing

The air permeability tester is of a compact design for easy transport and can be operated without external power supply. The TX15 is thus a portable device for use anywhere along the production line or in the field. It is said to allow for non-destructive testing of the finished product, so that there is no need to cut out test specimens. The TX15 is designed to cater for various air permeability tests across a wide measuring range performed in minimum time.

The tester returns accurate measurements within seconds, the company reports. Operators can choose between more than 100 units of measure, doing away with time-consuming and error-prone conversions with a pocket calculator.

Other applications

Apart from textiles, the TX15 is also suitable for use in the cellulose industry, by paraglider and parachute schools, or by sail and balloon envelope manufacturers.

F.O.S. has been using the instrument to test its filter materials. "We have always been very happy with this air permeability tester, and it has never let us down. When the manufacturing company HSL GmbH was wound up, we feared that the TX15 would no longer be available on the market. That is why we stepped in," explained Christian Reining.

Data transfer to smartphone app

Together with Martin Hoppe, the son of the initial designer of the TX15, F.O.S. improved and upgraded the instrument. The measured values are, for instance, no longer displayed on the tester, but by a smartphone app.

F.O.S. based in Ahlen has not only taken over the production of the air permeability tester, but also all associated after-sales services. The first batch of the new TX15 is now ready for shipping at the F.O.S. warehouse.